How can clinical research in Brazil change this scenario?Nora Thormann, from Porto Alegre (RS), had lymphoma that developed around her breast implant. Cristina Santedicola, from Salvador (BA), faced non-Hodgkin lymphoma for four years. What brings these women closer together, in addition to the fight against cancer, is that both were only successful in their treatments because they participated in clinical research in the United States. While in that country there are more than 80 research centers for every 1 million inhabitants, in Brazil there are only two. The probability of dying after diagnosis is twice as high in Latin America as in the United States or Europe. The main barriers to the development of clinical research in Latin America, according to experts, include the lack of structure in national or regional organizations dedicated to cancer research, a limited number of qualified and specialized people (for example, statisticians, study monitors, and other operational members), lack of public recognition of the importance of clinical research, legal obstacles, and regulatory in some countries and, critically, the lack of funding to support research. The CURA Project Institute, a non-profit organization that was born from an initiative of the Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group - LACOG, has been acting on several fronts in order to promote and raise resources for carrying out clinical research. “We are a platform for interaction and engagement, which uses music, art, design, sports, fashion, and events to involve people and ambassadors in the fight against cancer. Through our initiatives, we can receive donations from individuals or legal entities, directly, with donations via the website or participation in charitable events, or indirectly”, explains psychologist Fernanda Schwyter, president of Cura.Faced with the tragic scenario in Brazil, private funding of clinical research is extremely important. According to oncologist Gilberto Amorim (D'OR Oncology), godfather of NeoSamba Search, funded by the CURA Project, “one of the benefits of carrying out more clinical research in Brazil is that there will be a greater opportunity for patients, especially those treated by the public network, to have more access to innovative drugs, to new treatments, and also to treatments that are already reference, reducing the difference between Brazil and large international centers. INCA data According to data released recently by the National Cancer Institute (INCA), for the triennial period 2020/2022, Brazil will have 625,000 new cases of the disease every year. Prostate and breast lead with more than 66,000 cases each year. “There was a 10% increase in breast cancer compared to 2018,” explains Amorim. The number of cervical cancers, mostly caused by HPV, will be 17,000 a year, but the oncologist warns that “it is a vaccine-preventable disease for girls and boys.” Obesity is a risk factor in 11 of 19 cancers. Sedentary lifestyle, smoking, excessive alcohol and poor diet -poor in vegetables, vegetables and fruits and rich in processed and industrialized products- increase the risk of 10 types of cancer, according to the Ministry of Health. For Fernanda, founder of Cura, it is essential that there be constant education and awareness among the population about the risk factors of neoplasms. In addition, the psychologist reinforces that research and the production of local knowledge are the main weapons to change the condition of our continent, in which most patients receives lower treatments than those received in other regions of the world. Only 1 to 3% of open studies in the world are open in Brazil, he says.www.projectocura.org